Paavo Henttonen

Paavo "Paul" Henttonen, a 54-year-old Finnish immigrant and Georgetown, Ontario, business owner, was a man who kept to himself but was positively involved in his family's life. He had moved to Canada from Finland in the 1970s with his siblings. After a period in the Navy and living in Toronto, he started a business in the Brampton area before relocating to Georgetown. He was married and had a son, and though the marriage ended in divorce, he remained on good terms with his ex-wife and was an active part of his son's life. In Georgetown, he operated a unique business out of his combined workshop and apartment at 1 Rosetta Street, an old industrial building next to the GO Station. He bought, repaired, and resold broken vending machines and industrial food equipment, selling what he couldn't fix for scrap metal. He was known to be a man without any known enemies.

The evening of Thursday, May 16, 2002, was quiet for Henttonen. He spent some time having drinks alone at the Barber Towne Pub, a local establishment where he was reportedly a regular. Just after midnight, he took a five-minute taxi ride home. The driver saw him enter his apartment and was the last person known to have seen him alive. The following morning, Friday, May 17, his cleaning lady arrived for work around 9:00 a.m. When she couldn't find her employer, she searched the unit and made a gruesome discovery: Paavo Henttonen was dead on the floor, surrounded by blood.

Police were called to a scene that one detective would later describe as "fairly extensive and horrific." An autopsy confirmed Henttonen had died from multiple stab wounds in what was described as a vicious and excessive attack. The murder weapon, a large kitchen knife, was found at the scene and had been taken from a knife block in Henttonen's own kitchen. Investigators found no signs of forced entry, suggesting Henttonen either knew his attacker and let them in, or the killer had a key. The apartment itself was not ransacked, though cash had been taken from Henttonen's wallet. His keys and his pickup truck were also missing.

The Halton Regional Police Service Homicide Unit launched an intensive investigation. Two days after the murder, Henttonen's stolen pickup truck was found abandoned in the Dominion Gardens subdivision, only a three-minute drive from his apartment. The crime scene yielded a significant amount of forensic evidence, including the killer's blood, hair, and fingerprints. A full handprint was recovered from the interior of the victim's truck. The presence of the suspect's blood and defensive wounds on Henttonen indicated he had fought back against his assailant. Despite the wealth of DNA evidence, it has never matched any profiles in police databases, suggesting the killer had no prior criminal record.

Investigators believe the motive was not a simple robbery, as other valuables in the apartment were left untouched. The brutality of the attack suggested a personal connection and deep-seated anger. Police have theorized that the killer was familiar with Henttonen and the layout of the complex building at 1 Rosetta Street, which had a secluded entrance to his basement unit. To protect the integrity of the investigation, police have intentionally withheld specific details of the crime scene that only the perpetrator would know.

Years have passed, but the case has never been closed. Halton Police have continued to seek information from the public, particularly anyone who might have seen Henttonen or his pickup truck on the night of May 16 or the morning of May 17, 2002. Advances in forensic technology, such as palm print databases, have offered potential new avenues for identifying the suspect from the handprint found in the truck.

As of March 2023, the brutal murder of Paavo Henttonen remains an active and unsolved homicide investigation for the Halton Regional Police Service. His family has been left without answers for over two decades. Police continue to urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. Tips can be directed to the Halton Regional Police Service Homicide Unit at 905-825-4747 ext. 8760 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).